Ornamental sheet material and method of making the same



Jan. 3, 1956 G. MARKUS ET AL 2,72

ORNAMENTAL SHEET MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Feb. 28,1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Tmz l.

INVENTORS maz MAP/(00' 1956 G. MARKUS ET AL 2,729,010

ORNAMENTAL SHEET MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Feb. 28,1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Thqb- United States Patent ORNAMENT AL SHEETMATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME George Markus, West Orange, N.J., and Martin Siege],

Roslyn, N. Y., assignors to Aristocrat Leather Products, Inc., New York,N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 28, 1955, SerialNo. 490,869 7 Claims. (Cl. il-34) This invention relates generally toornamental sheet material and method of making same.

The primary aim and object of the present invention is to simplify theart of securing plastic material to non-plastic material, such astextiles, to ornament the latter. Pursuant to this object of the presentinvention plastic material is bonded and contoured at the same time andin the same operation in position on the surface of non-plasticintcrsticed material, such as textiles, whereby to form an ornamentalassembly comprising textile material having contoured and bondedornamental elements. secured thereto.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a method forsimultaneously contouring, and bonding in position on the surface oftextile material, plastic material, said method utilizing conventionalapparatus in the main and being relatively simple and inexpensive.

Another object'of the present invention is the provision of a method forsecuring. ornaments and ornamental material to textile material Withoutimpairing or damaging the latter :to form ornamented textile materialwhich is aesthetically very attractive and which may-be utilized in amultitude of decorative and utilitarian applications.

Yet another object of the present invention is, the provision of agenerally improved method of making sheet assemblies and articles havingcontoured ornamental elements secured to the .surtacethereof.

The above and other objects, features. andv advantages of the presentinvention will be more fully understood from the following descriptionconsidered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

in the drawings which illustrate the best mode now contemplated by usfor carrying out our invention:-

Fig. l is a top plan view of a segment of ornamented textile materialformed according to the present invention; 1 a

Fig. 2 is a view similar. to Fig. 1 illustratinganother form of surfaceornamentation;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a pressshowing textile material andplastic sheet material positioned on the bed thereof preparatory to thecontouringand bonding operation;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 44of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, on a greatly enlarged scale,showing the die of the press in elevated position preparatory tocontouring and bonding the plastic sheet material relative to thetextile material;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the die of the press inoperative position for the contouring and bonding operation; 7

Fig. 7 is a view. similar to Figs. 5 and 6 showing the die in elevatedposition subsequent to the contouringaud bonding operation;

.Fig. 8. is af-fragmentary. sectional. view, on a greatly enlargedscale, of the ornamented textile material as- ICC,

sembly illustrating the operation of removing plastic sheet materialalong the tear edges thereof;

Fig. 9'is a top plan view of a segment of ornamented textile materialillustrating the operation of removing plastic material along the outeror top tear edge; and

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view thereof illustrating the operation ofremoving plastic material along the inner or bottom tear edge.

Referringto the drawings in detail, there is shown in Fig. l a segment10 of ornamental textile material which comprises a base. 12 formed oftextile material, an ornamental element 14 of predetermined contourdisposed on the outer surface 16 of said base, and a light permeableelement 18 overlying said ornamental element, said elements collectivelydefining the spaced series of ornaments 20 disposed onthe'outer face ofthe textile material base. The elements 14 and 18 have continuousperipheral edge portions 22 and 24, respectively, which are heat sealedto each other in position .on the base 12 as shown in Fig. 8, saidperipheral edge portion 22 being heat sealed to the continuousperipheral edge portion 26 of the securing element 28 which is disposedon the bottom surface 30, of the base 12. In the illustrated embodimentthe. elements 14, 18 and 28 are formed of thermoplastic sheet material,for example vinyl plastic material, and the base 12 is formed of asuitable intersticed-textile material, the interstices of said textilematerial providing for the fiow of heated plastic material therethroughwhereby to heat seal the assembly constituted by the elements 14 and 18to the securing element 28 and thus to heat seal the ornaments 20 inposition on the textile material base. Accordingly While fabric ortextile material 12 is utilized as the base material of the illustratedand herein described embodiment, itwill be apparent that the presentinvention may be practiced by utilizing any suitable intersticed basematerial to provide for the flow of plastic material therethrough. Thesegment 10- of surface ornamented textile material is formed by themethod tobe described in detail hereinafter.

The apparatus 32, shown in Fig. 3, utilized for the practice of thepresent invention, is conventional in the main and includes a head .34mounted at the end of a vertically reciprocable ram 36, and a stationarybed 38., it being understood that the ram ismounted for vertical reciprocation in any suitable manner whereby to vertically reciprocate thehead 34 relative to its companion stationary bed 33. Mounted on thelower end of the head 34 in any suitable mannenis a die 40, which isbest shown in Pig. 4, said die having a peripherally continuous raisedvface 42 of preselected decorative outline, for example the outline of adancing girl. As will be apparent from the description which follows,the die face 42 may be of any desired outline or contour correspondingto the desired contour of the ornaments 20 of the ornamented textileassembly 10,,the specific contours illustrated and described hereinbeing given by way of example only. Thus the embodiment 10' illustratedin Fig. 2 (litters from the embodiment 10 of Fig. 1 only .in regard tothe shape and disposition of the ornaments or ornamental elements .20disposed on the textile base 12'. It will ac cordiugly be apparentthatthc ornaments or ornamental elements 2il and 20 may be of anydesired shape or configuration and may be arranged on the surface of atextile base in any desired manner to achieve the desired ornamentaleffect. The die face 42 has a periphorally continuous edge portion 44 ofan outline corresponding to the outline of said die face projecting fromthe outer sidecdgeof the latter, said projecting edge 42 is adapted tofuse or bond the plastic sheets 52 and 54 v to each other and to theplastic sheet 56 along the out line 58 corresponding to the outline ofsaid peripheral edge by an electronic heat sealing operation, therebeing provided conventional electronic equipment-61 in the head 34 forthis purpose. Accordingly the conventional electronic heat sealingequipment 61 is adapted to act through the die face 42 and, moreparticularly, the peripheral edge 46 thereof to effect an electronicheat sealing operation between the layers 52, 54 and 56 of plastic sheetmaterial. The plastic layers 52-, 54 and 56 may be initially ofdeterminate or indeterminate contour and are adapted to be contoured andheat sealed or fused by the apparatus 32 to form the elements 18, 14 and28, respectively, the latter being initially integral portions of saidplastic layers. In the practice of the present method the plastic sheets52 and 54 are superposed on each other in overlying relation to theouter face 16 of the base 12 and the layer 56 is superposed on theopposite face 30 of said base, it being noted that the layers 52, 54 and56 are in vertical registry. in the practice of the present method theregistry between the layers 52, 54 and 56 is not critical, it being onlynecessary to provide for registry of the areas thereof which are to bebonded or heat sealed to each other. The base 12 may be of any desireddeterminate or indeterminate outline and may be formed of any desiredthreads or yarns. To effect a heat seal or bond between the layers 52.54 and 56 and to secure the latter to the base 12 the ram 36 isreciprocated in a downward direction so as to reciprocate the die face42 to the position shown in Fig. 6 in which said die face is effectiveto bond or fuse the plastic layers 52, 54 and 56 to each other along theperipherally continuous outline 58' corresponding to the outline of saiddie face. In the heat sealing or bonding operation the peripheral edgeportions 22 and 24' of the layers 54 and 52, respectively, will be fusedto each other along the outline 58' without the formation of a distinctline of demarcation between said edge portions and plastic material fromsaid layers will flow through or penetrate the interstices of thetextile base 12 to bond the layers 52 and 54 to the layer 56 along theperipheral edge portion 26' of the latter. Thus on the activation of theelectronic equipment 61 the peripheral edge 46 of the die willsufficiently heat the plastic layers 52, 54 and 56 to cause a fusionthereof along the outline 58, this operation effecting the flow ofplastic material through the interstices of the textile base 12 as shownin Fig. 8 whereby to effect a bond between the peripheral edge portions22, 24' and 26' of the plastic layers. The edge portion 44 of the dieface 42 projects beyond the edge 46 thereof to define the tear edges 48and 50 along the outer edge of the bonded outline 53' of the ornamentedtextile assembly it!" simultaneous with the heat sealing of the plasticlayers. From the above it will be apparent that the apparatus 32 iseffecttive to bond the plastic layers 52, 54 and 56 to each other alongperipherally continuous edge portions to provide a decorative outline 58corresponding to the outline of the die face 42 and to simultaneouslydefine the tear edges 48 and 50 on the opposite sides or faces of thebase 12 of a corresponding configuration.

Subsequent to the above described bonding and contouring operation, theram 36 is reciprocated upwardly as shown in Fig. 7 away from the work,to leave on the bed 38 the ornamented assembly which is in anintermediate stage of finish. The semi-finished assembly 10 is formedinto a finished assembly or ornamented segment 1.0 by removing sheetmaterial 60 and 62 of the layers 52 and 54, respectively, along the tearedge 48 and by removing sheet material 64 of the layer 56 along the tearedge 50, it being understood that the tear edge 48 is defined by plasticmaterial of the layers 52 and 54 which fuse together during theabove-described heat sealing and bonding operation. Thus the plasticsheet material 60 4 and 62, outside of the bonded and contoured area 66,may be readily removed from the assembly 10" by grasping a portion ofsaid material and 62 and pulling the latter to separate it from saidarea 66 along the tear edge 48 (Fig. 9). Accordingly the operation oftearing or separating the material 60 and 62 from the bonded andcontoured area 66 will result in the formation of a bonded plasticassembly having an outline corresponding to the outline of the die face42 with the separated sheet material 60 and 62 having a cut out area 63of corresponding outline, it being understood that sheet material 60 and62 having such'a cut out area of pre selected decorative outline may beutilized in any desired manner, for example, for integration with othermaterials to form a decorative composite assembly. The sheet material 64is similarly removed from the layer 56 along the tear edge 59 in themanner described above relative to sheet material 60 and 62 (Fig. 10),and this sheet material 64 having a cut out area 65 may be utilized inany desired manner. On the removal of the sheet material 60, 62 and 64from the layers 52, 54 and 56, respectively, in the manner describedabove elements 53, 1.4 and 28, respectively, will be formed and saidelements will be of the same contour or outline corresponding to theoutline of die face 42. The finished ornamented textile segment 10,having ornaments 20 secured to one face thereof, may be utilized in anydesired manner, for example for integration with other materials to forma decorative composite assembly. The element 18 may be formed of anysuitable plain or ornamented plastic material and in the illustratedembodiment said element is transparent or translucent to reveal theornamental element 14 positioned thereunder, said ornamental cl.- mentbeing colored if desired and having a plain or ornamented face 15.

It will be apparent that the ornamental assembly or segment 10 comprisessegments or elements of plastic material 14 and 18 which are secured tothe textile base 12, said base and said segments being free from directconnection to each other except along the bonded peripherally extendingportion 23. Thus the segments or elements 14 and 18 are bonded andcontoured at the same time in the same operation, said elements beingsecured to the outer face 16 of the base 12 by means of the securingelement 28 disposed on the rear or inner face 30 of the base 12 andbonded to the elements 14 and 18 along the outline thereof. Since all ofthe constituent portions of the layers 52, '54 and 56 may be utilized itwill be apparent that the technique described above is inherently veryeconomical. While the ornaments 2i) and 20 of the illustratedembodiments are formed of two layers of plastic sheet material, it willbe understood that said ornamnets may be formed of any number of layersup to the capacity of the apparatus 32 and it is accord ingly within thescope of the present invention to form ornamental elements 20 from oneor more sheets of plastic material.

The ornamented fabric assembly 10 and 10 may be utilized in any desiredapplication, for example in the formation of articles such as wallets,vanity articles and the like. It will be understood that the layers 52,54 and 56 of plastic sheet material may be formed of the same materialor may be formed of different compatible materials so that suchmaterials will bond or fuse together in the aforedescribed manner.

While we have shown and described the preferred em bodiments of ourinvention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in theidea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. ornamented material, comprising a plurality of layers including innerand outer layers which comprise thermoplastic material and are disposedin superposed relation, one of said layers at one side thereof beingfused to another of said layers by said thermoplastic material along aline defining a tear edge on said other layer, said one layer comprisingintersticed material impregnated with thermoplastic material in theinterstices of said one layer at the portion thereof which is fused tosaid other layer, and a securing layer comprising thermoplastic materialfused to said one layer at the opposite side thereof at said portion ofthe said one layer.

2. Ornamented sheet material, comprising a plurality of layers disposedin superposed relation, one of said layers being intersticed anddisposed between two others of said layers, the latter havingthermoplastic surface material contiguous to the opposite surfaces,respectively, of said intersticed layer, said two other layers beingheat sealed to each other through the interstices of said intersticedlayer along a line of fusion of predetermined contour defining in situan edge of corresponding contour on at least one of said two otherlayers.

3. Ornamented sheet material, comprising a plurality of layers disposedin superposed relation, one of said layers being intersticed anddisposed between two others of said layers, the latter havingthermoplastic surface material contiguous to the opposite surfaces,respectively, of said intersticed layer, said two other layers beingheat sealed to each other through the interstices of said intersticedlayer along a line of fusion of predetermined contour defining in situ atear edge of corresponding contour on at least one of said two otherlayers, said intersticed layer having an area extending laterally beyondsaid tear edge.

4. Ornamented sheet material, comprising a base layer formed of textilematerial, an ornamental element of plastic sheet material and ofpredetermined contour secured on one surface of said base layer alongthe peripheral outline thereof, and a securing element formed of plasticsheet material secured on the opposite surface of said base layer, saidornamental and securing elements being heat sealed to each other throughthe interstices of said base layer along a line of fusion correspondingto said peripheral outline and defining in situ a tear edge ofcorresponding outline on said ornamental element, said base layerextending outwardly beyond said ornamental element.

5. Ornamented sheet material, comprising a base layer formed of textilematerial, an ornamental element of plastic sheet material and ofpredetermined contour secured on one surface of said base layer alongthe peripheral outline thereof, and a securing element formed of plasticsheet material secured on the opposite surface of said base layer, saidornamental and securing elements being heat sealed to each other throughthe interstices of said base layer along a line of fusion correspondingto said peripheral outline and defining in situ a tear edge ofcorresponding outline on said ornamental element, and a light permeableelement formed of plastic sheet material overlying and encompassing saidornamental element, said light permeable element having a peripheraloutline corresponding to the outline of said ornamental element andbeing heat sealed in position on the latter along said line of fusion.

6. The method of providing an ornamental assembly, comprising the stepsof superposing layers of thermoplastic sheet material on the oppositesides of a layer of textile material, heat fusing the said layers ofthermoplastic material through the interstices of said textile layeralong a peripherally extending line providing a preselected decorativeoutline and simultaneously defining a tear edge on one of said layerscorresponding to said outline, said heat fusion of said thermoplasticlayers thereby securing said textile layer in position between saidthermoplastic layers, and thereafter removing from said one layer alongsaid tear edge the portions thereof which extend beyond said tear edgeto contour said one layer to said decorative outline.

7. The method of providing an ornamental element on the surface oftextile material, said method comprising the steps of superposing oneach other two layers of plastic sheet material in overlying relation toone face of said first mentioned sheet material with said layers beingof indeterminate contour and with the outer one of said layers being oflight permeable material, superposing a layer of plastic sheet materialon the opposite face of said first mentioned sheet material, heat fusingsaid two layers of sheet material and said layer on said opposite faceto each other through the interstices of said textile material alongperipherally extending edges providing a preselected decorative outlineand simultaneously defining a tear edge on said two layers correspondingto said outline, said heat fusion thereby securing said textile materialin position between said layers of plastic sheet material, andthereafter removing material of said two layers along said tear edge tocontour said layers to said preselected outline and to provide anornamental element on the surface of said first mentioned sheetmaterial.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,043,809 Papp June 9, 1936 2,184,121 Henriksen Dec. 19, 1939 2,282,168Cunnington May 5, 1942 2,341,978 Cunnington Feb. 15, 1944 2,710,046Markus et al. June 7, 1955

